UK Tourism Consumer Tracker Survey: Wales profile report 2025

2025 review

• Wales continues to attract a diverse mix of visitors, with Older Independents and Families forming the largest groups, and a comparatively strong presence of Younger Independents.
• Cardiff, Pembrokeshire and Mid Wales/Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) are the most visited destinations, with areas like Carmarthenshire and North East Wales outperforming initial intention levels.
• Trips to Wales account for 6% of 2025 UK trips, below the intention recorded at the start of 2025.
• UK‑wide, intentions remain higher than trips taken, with England continuing to dominate trip volumes.

Cost of living

• Financial pressures show signs of easing, with fewer travellers citing affordability as a barrier and more feeling financially stable compared with early 2025.
• Around half of Wales trip intenders still expect some cost‑of‑living influence, but intended cutbacks (e.g., reducing eating‑out or activities) are less pronounced than in early 2025.

Looking ahead: UK and Wales 2026 intentions

• UK trip intentions for 2026 remain stable, with similar seasonal patterns to 2025.
• Intentions to visit Wales hold steady, with 2026 seasonal levels broadly mirroring 2025 figures across spring, summer, autumn and winter.
• Booking conversion for Wales has softened, with fewer 2026 intenders having already booked and a higher proportion still deciding where to go - more than any other nation.
• Cardiff leads intentions throughout the whole year. Pembrokeshire and Swansea Bay dominate summer intentions, while Llandudno & Colwyn Bay sees its peak in Winter 2026.
• Hotels remain the most common planned accommodation choice, especially in colder months; rented cottages/houses remain a strong year‑round second choice.
• Own car travel dominates, reinforcing Wales’ positioning as a car‑led destination; trains remain the main alternative.
• Most visitors plan to travel with a partner, with children also prominent; pets show stable appeal across seasons.
• Longer breaks (4+ nights) remain the most common stay‑length across all seasons.

Overseas trends

• The gap between overseas intentions and actual trips remains, though smaller than the UK gap.
• Those favouring overseas travel continue to be driven by better weather and the appeal of new cultures, while UK‑preferers continue to emphasise shorter travel times, simplicity and value.

Improvements to encourage Wales trips

• Top improvement: More information about things to do (28%), highlighting an information gap.
• Affordable accommodation remains critical (27%), irrespective of financial circumstances.
• Younger audiences want stronger social media presence, event promotion, and diverse food options.
• Promotion: Wales is resonating with families, but a drop in younger audiences highlights a potential need to refresh the appeal among these audiences.                 
• Weather is a prominent barrier both at UK and Wales level – opportunity to promote indoor attractions and “all-weather” experiences.

Other travel and tourism considerations

• Online booking is now a clear expectation, with 91% wanting accommodation to be bookable online - but most would still book directly via call/email if needed.
• Sustainable travel interest continues to grow, with over half likely to use public low‑carbon transport if convenient, though many still prefer their own vehicle.
• Visitor levy perceptions show cautious support, with most seeing it as positive but expecting some impact on pricing or visitor volume.

Wales intenders’ trends vs 2025

• Family travel remains up overall: Versus 2025, more Wales trip intenders plan to travel with children across the seasons. However, in summer the ‘family time’ motivation dips compared to other seasons. Moreover, the Summer trip party make-up sees a lower share travelling with a partner, and a higher share travelling with friends.
• Shift toward longer stays: Across most seasons, there is an increase in planned 4+ night trips versus last year, particularly in winter, spring and autumn, with summer being the exception.
• Movement away from car‑led travel: Planned use of own car has declined year‑on‑year, with a clear rise in planned train travel across all seasons.
• Accommodation preferences evolving: Wales trip intenders show higher demand for hotels and serviced apartments compared with last year, while rented accommodation, guest houses and several secondary options have softened.
• Destination mix adjusting slightly: Traditional coastal towns show modest year‑on‑year gains, while rural coastline, countryside and mountain/hill destinations see small declines in intention levels.